Teen Activists Start Small and Become Big
It was a regular morning and 12-year old Craig Kielburger was skimming through a newspaper looking for comics when he was astounded at something else; Iqbal Masih, a child slave in Pakistan was murdered because he spoke up against child labor. Right then he realized that anyone who was like Iqbal, was simply born as someone whos family was in need of money. They couldn’t have done anything. But Craig could, and he needed to help.
But what could he do? He was just a small boy who lives thousands of miles away from the people he wanted to help. He needed help, he needed more people. So, he persuaded about 6 classmates that if they worked together, they could make a difference. Then, they made Free The Children.
With Marc, his older brother, Craig and his friends left out with a mission in mind: to free families from poverty. But they found out that freeing children from slavery wasn’t making as big of an impact as they thought it would: the families still didn’t have enough money and they struggled to support themselves. So, they changed their goal.
Realizing that there is no single answer for ending poverty, they made “Adopt a Village”. It included five main pillars. They were education, clean water (sanitation), health care, food, and alternate income. These five things create a much bigger influence than each could provide on their own.
After 20 years, their organization is a global charity dedicated to delivering a sustainable environment that lets people change themselves, their community, and the world.
Craig started small and became big. You can see that, because it started as a group of friends having an idea. It went to an international foundation for helping people in need. There is a big difference.
But what could he do? He was just a small boy who lives thousands of miles away from the people he wanted to help. He needed help, he needed more people. So, he persuaded about 6 classmates that if they worked together, they could make a difference. Then, they made Free The Children.
With Marc, his older brother, Craig and his friends left out with a mission in mind: to free families from poverty. But they found out that freeing children from slavery wasn’t making as big of an impact as they thought it would: the families still didn’t have enough money and they struggled to support themselves. So, they changed their goal.
Realizing that there is no single answer for ending poverty, they made “Adopt a Village”. It included five main pillars. They were education, clean water (sanitation), health care, food, and alternate income. These five things create a much bigger influence than each could provide on their own.
After 20 years, their organization is a global charity dedicated to delivering a sustainable environment that lets people change themselves, their community, and the world.
Craig started small and became big. You can see that, because it started as a group of friends having an idea. It went to an international foundation for helping people in need. There is a big difference.